1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of fishing. More specifically, the invention relates to a fishing rod support system that can be used with either tip downs or tip ups and having attached audio and visual signaling alarms to indicate a fish bite.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Fishing remains an extremely popular leisure activity during nearly every season of the year. From the opening day of the spring fishing season through the bleak winter ice fishing season, anglers can usually be found on some body of water throughout virtually any geographic region. Despite its overwhelming popularity, success in fishing often requires extreme levels of patience and vigilance. However, many fishermen do not like to constantly hold their fishing rod and reel assemblies during this waiting process, but instead, would rather secure such assemblies in place while they engage in other activities sometimes remote from the fishing site. Furthermore, holding a pole for a significant amount of time can be tiring for the angler. This is especially true during the ice fishing season. Cold temperatures and high winds can make the process of holding onto a fishing pole a very difficult experience.
In order to avoid constantly holding a fishing pole, anglers fishing from shore may prop their fishing rod(s) up with rocks or sticks or whatever happens to be convenient. Likewise, fishers that fish from the pier typically prop their rods up against the pier railing, between rails or in the railing itself. These makeshift supports allow the angler's hands to be free to attend to other tasks until a fish strike is made.
Numerous ice fishing devices have been developed to assist the fishermen during the winter months. Tip-ups and tip downs are known in the art and provide devices that allow fishermen to place his or her rod in a support structure without the need to constantly monitor the line. Non-limiting examples of such ice fishing structures which have been used are U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,670 issued Apr. 12, 1977, U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,233 issued Jun. 21, 1977, U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,387 issued Nov. 4, 1986, U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,286 issued Jun. 14, 1985, U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,333 issued Sep. 24, 1991, U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,243 issued Nov. 17, 1992, U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,080 issued Nov. 30, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,142 issued Jun. 27, 2000, U.S. Pat. No. 6,094,852 issued Aug. 1, 2000 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,622,421 the disclosures of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference.
A key disadvantage of most fishing rod holders, tip ups and tip downs is that many of these devices still require a fisher to be in close proximity to the device. If the angler does not pay close attention to the rods, a fish can bite and then get off the hook. This is particularly true at night, when it is nearly impossible to watch the rod without a light of sufficient intensity. Such lighting is not only expensive, but also takes away from the natural beauty of the lake. Ice fishing tip ups and tip downs often include flags to signal the bite of a fish. Such flags, however, are usually small in relation to the device and do not provide a signal that can be readily identified. This is especially true when the conditions on a lake are foggy, at night, during snow showers or other conditions which might otherwise limit visibility.
Various audio and visual alarms have been devised in the past to signal a bite on fishing tackle. However, such prior art alarms have all had various shortcomings which have thwarted their widespread acceptance. Among these are switch devices, actuated by movement of the rod, reel or line. Often when the time comes to fight or reel in the fish, many of these devices become a nuisance or hindrance. Additionally, such devices have generally been limited to use with a single rod and reel assembly and designed to provide an effective alerting signal only in close proximity to the rod and reel assembly. Other earlier alarm devices have required auxiliary support structure found only on a boat or pier, or have been difficult to operate, or expensive, or of a size too large for convenient transportation to the fishing site, or prone to causing weakening damage to the fishing line.
Most fish bite signaling devices are typically activated by tension in the fishing line caused by the fish taking the bait. Many such devices in the prior art are lacking in many respects. The below-referenced U.S. patents disclose embodiments that were at least in-part satisfactory for the purposes for which they were intended. The disclosures of all the below-referenced prior United States patents in their entireties are hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the present application for purposes including, but not limited to, indicating the background of the present invention and illustrating the state of the art.
Prior Art devices of this type have relied on a variety of different holders and signaling configurations that are both mechanical and electrical, see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,835,568, 3,371,443 and 3,283,437. In U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 3,835,568, a fishing rod and reel assembly is disclosed that uses a wire bracket to hold the rod and reel with the fishing line engaged around a switch lever interconnected to a power source and both an audio and visual alarm system. When a fish strikes the switch arm is moved activating the audio visual alarms.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,371,443, a signaling device is shown wherein a rod and reel holder is secured into the ground and a signaling flag assembly is secured thereto. The signaling flag assembly has a pivoted flag arm with a flag held in horizontal position by a latch arm connected to the fishing line. When a fish strikes, the latch arm is pulled up disengaging the flag arm which then falls downwardly to a vertically disposed position adjacent the holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,283,437 discloses a rod holder and alarm that utilizes an electric horn activated by an electric contact assembly that moves under impact of the fishing line during a strike closing a circuit activating the electric horn. Morgan U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,508 uses a pole holder pivotally disposed at the upper end of a support, and a coil spring biases the pole holder to normally position it transverse to the support. A strike on the line will overcome the bias of the spring, causing contact to be made with an alarm which, thus, alerts the fisherman.
Smith U.S. Pat. No. 3,156,997, counts on essentially a vertical pole to actuate the alarm and, again, a coil spring is employed. A downward component of the force of the strike would actuate the alarm, which is situated beneath the butt of the handle of the pole. Wetsch U.S. Pat. No. 3,285,360, discloses a coil spring which biases the pole holder toward the vertical. The alarm is at the side of the pole, and a horizontal component of the strike force is needed to bring the handle of the pole into actuating contact. In Schwartz et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,359,672 there is, again, a coil spring but it is mounted along a bolt, apparently to limit movement, and, in Howard U.S. Pat. No. 3,628,275, the coil spring is mounted in yet another different, relative position.
Rayburn U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,028 uses a screw and spring arrangement to position the pole holder relative to the support, in essentially straight line alignment, although the support is positioned at an acute angle relative to the ground. The Karr U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,720 and Hartwig U.S. Pat. No. 4,334,377 are variations on the same theme. The Hutcherson U.S. Pat. No. 3,903,633 is a variation on the leaf concept, with the alarm on the handle. The alarm is actuated by coming into contact with an essentially stationary surface.
As may be seen from the following analysis, there have been a large number of attempts to provide the angler with the tools to permit him or her to engage in other activities, while being alerted to a strike as one occurs. These efforts differ primarily as to how the objectives may be accomplished, while being relatively uniform as to the means, i.e., all seem to use something to hold the rod or pole and something to alert the fisherman upon there being a strike at the bait or lure. These devices have not addressed several of the other deficiencies in the art. Most of these devices do not provide a visual signal that can be seen from long distances, at night or in inclimate weather. Additionally, many of these devices include complex mechanisms, and require considerable effort to remove the rod from the holder upon the strike of a fish. Many of the devices are not robust enough to meet the demands of the many climates in which people fish, particularly ice fish and do not allow for numerous tip downs to be used at the same time. Furthermore, there is no known device that allows for a tip down support system to be wired to the rod supports on the tip downs as well as the alarm systems, while at the same time providing auxiliary wiring for incorporation of a tip up into the inventive system.
What is therefore needed in light of the above is a fishing pole holder and alarm system that exhibits enhanced robustness, increased visibility and ease of use. There is a further need for a fishing system that allows an alarm system to be wired to both a tip up and a tip down.